"Stay away from my daughter!" Derpy Hooves roared as she bucked a Nightmare Creature away from Dinky. The creature squealed in pain, allowing the cross-eyed pegasus to scoop up her daughter and fly her to safety. The battle against Nightmare Rarity and her forces was proving exhausting for Ponyville's "army". Even strong and hefty ponies such as Big Macintosh and Bulk Biceps were beginning to strain under exhaustion while the shadow forces that composed the new Nightmare's army were numerous and, thanks to them gathering the power from the moonlight, were given almost limitless stamina. "Mommy, look!" Dinky told her mother. Derpy turned her attention to a single earth pony with a spiky, chocolate brown mane and tail, tan fur, a green necktie, an hour-glass for a cutie mark and a pen-like device resting on his left ear walking casually among the chaos towards the unicorn Nightmare. "Doctor?" the gray pegasus asked herself, "What's he up to?"
Nightmare Rarity smirked. Victory was truly assured. The ponies were already beginning to lose stamina and not even the princesses could stop her or her forces. Yes. she thought to herself, Victory is mi-
"Well, well, WELL!" came a voice which broke her concentration. Curious, the Nightmare turned her slitted, blue eyes towards the culprit: a tan stallion walking up to her. "This is something isn't it?" Nightmare Rarity gritted her teeth at this pony's arrogant tone. This pony was talking to her as if they had both settled down for a cup of tea. "Who are you?" she growled.
"Me? Oh, sorry, my mistake, I forgot introductions. The ponies around here call me Time Turner. I also go by 'the Doctor'."
Nightmare Rarity rose an eyebrow. "Doctor Who?"
The 'Doctor' shrugged, "Just the 'Doctor'." He then began to continue. "Well this has truly been a lovely show, you bringing down all your forces and causing all this ruckus. A little bit of overkill I might add, but hey, it gets the job done. Yes, yes lots of fun. Well, maybe fun for you, I don't know about every other pony. Sadly, though, I'm afraid this has to end."
Nightmare Rarity gave a feral smile. Oh it will end for you. she thought. "Very well, if you insist."
"Oh, no no no. I'm not talking to the host, I'm talking to the Nightmare itself." the Doctor interrupted her with a casual smile.
The new Queen of the Night gave him a very confused look. The Doctor spoke again, this time his smile was replaced with a very serious, no-nonsense expression.
"Come on then. Why don't you come out? I'm sure everypony gathered here tonight wants to see what they have been afraid of all those millenia. Unless you're nothing more but a coward." he growled.
Nightmare Rarity reared back, baring her sharp teeth while her eyes glowed.
"SO BE IT!" she roared in a voice that sounded like a thousand ponies (or rather dragons) speaking in unison. With that, Nightmare Rarity opened her mouth and a cloud of a black, mist-like substance erupted out of it. The black cloud then spread upwards from her body until Rarity, now freed from her possession, dropped to the ground with a groan. The Element Bearers and Spike, having returned from the moon just in time to see what happened, rushed forward to help her up.
"Are you okay?" Spike asked.
"I'm fine, Spike, don't worr- SWEET MERCIFUL EQUESTRIA, WHAT IS THAT!?" she shouted seeing the gigantic black mass shift and morph into something straight out of a horror story. The monster was composed of the same black substance that had come out of Rarity and had a horse-like head with blue lights for eyes. The creature let loose a roar that sounded like a thousand souls screaming in agony. The ponies and Nightmare Forces stopped their fighting to turn their attention to the monster.
The Doctor just stood there, a look of determination on his face. Even when the shadow monster, upon noticing him, roared in his direction.
"That's better," he said, "That's more like it. No more hiding, no more hosts. This ends as it should. You already cost the ponies a princess before, you will not cost them a friend."
Dinky and Derpy watched as the Doctor stood his ground against the Nightmare. "What's he going to do?" Dinky asked.
"I think he's going to fight it." Derpy answered.
"Is he scared?"
"I think so."
"I want to help."
Before Derpy could stop her, Dinky freed herself from her mother's embrace and galloped out of the crowd, followed by the gray pegasus. They soon stopped a few inches in front of the gathered ponies and Nightmare Forces. Dinky then closed her eyes and began to sing.
"Rest now; my warrior; Rest now, your hardship is over..."
The Doctor could feel fear rising up in his throat in the presence of the very same monster responsible for Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Rarity.
"Okay, that's what I'll do," he started, "I'll tell you a story."
Suddenly, all the other ponies began to sing with Dinky.
"Live; Wake up; wake up; and let the cloak of life; cling to your bones..."
The Doctor began to feel hope rising in his heart as he gestured at the ponies, his eyes not once leaving the Nightmare. "Can you hear them?" he asked "All these ponies who lived in fear of you, all these ponies whose ancestors you cost of their princess of the night, can you hear them singing?"
"Live; Wake up; wake up; and let the cloak of life; cling to your bones; cling to your bones; wake up..."
"Oh you like to think you're a god!" he continued, "You're not a god. You're just a parasite eaten out with the jealousy and envy and longing of your hosts until they are just empty shells for you to take over!"
The Nightmare gave what looked like a smirk at that statement.
"You feed on them; on the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow SO!"
The Doctor's tone grew dark. "So, come on then. Take mine. Take. My. Memories. But I hope you've got a big appetite."
The Nightmare launched two tendrils at the Doctor as he spoke, causing him to stagger slightly. "Because I've lived a long life, and I've seen a few things."
"Wake up; wake up; live; wake up; wake up; and let the cloak of life; cling to your bones..."
The Nightmare, while it fed, began to appear very uncomfortable.
The Doctor started to speak as images of his memories flashed in his mind. "I walked away from the Last Great Time War. (Arcadia burned as the Daleks rained fire upon it) I marked the passing of the Time Lords. (Gallifrey seemed to explode into dust, destroying the Dalek ships that besieged it) I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out; moment by moment until nothing remained." Tears began to develop in his eyes as the singing grew into a chorus.
"No time. No space. Just me! I've walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a MAD MAN! (The Master, Discord, the Dream Lord, Omega, the Toymaker, Davros) And I've watched universes freeze and creations burn! I have seen things you wouldn't believe! (the shining peaks of New New York with Rose by his side, the Daleks and their home world Skaro, the death of Earth, the Reapers, Mars and the Ice Warriors, the Cybermen, the Beast, the Ood, the Chronovores, the Vervoids, the Krynoid the Autons, the Weeping Angels, the Face of Boe, the Sontarans, the Silurians, the shape-shifting Zygons under Loch Ness, the Library hunting grounds for the Vashta-Nerada, the Pandorica, all of his friends and foes) I have lost things you will NEVER understand!" (Adric, Peri, his daughter Jenny, Amy and Rory, Katarina, Donna, his beloved wife River)
"And I know things!" the Doctor exclaimed as he rose on his hindlegs, "Secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken! (the Warrior, the Valeyard, Trenzalore, "The first question! The question that must never be answered! Hidden in plain sight! The question you've been running from all your life!") Knowledge that will make parasite gods BLAZE!" ("Doctor Who? Doctor Who? Doctor WHO!?")
The Doctor then faced the Nightmare straight in the eyes, now widened in terror and fear. "So come on then! TAKE IT! TAKE IT ALL, BABY! HAVE IT! (Every memory up to his self-exile to Equestria following the death of the Ponds and becoming a pony, meeting Derpy and her daughter. Every last memory of joy, death, sorrow, evil, redemption. Every. Last. One.)
YOU HAVE IT ALL!"
He stared at the Nightmare as it appeared to be woozy and weak and glared at it with defiant eyes. "You know, sometimes I wonder why I even bother. Everytime. Every. Single. Time I save the universe, something like you comes crawling out of the darkest depths and threatens its existence and preys on the innocent. Well, I will not have it. Not this time. This time I. Say. No! I am the Doctor. And... I... Say... No... MORE!"
With that, the Nightmare gave out one last roar (albeit far more pitiful) as it dissolved into nothing. As it did, its hold on the Moon creatures broke. This brought them to cheer in celebration of their freedom. Exhausted, the Doctor dropped back down on his front legs, both triumphant and empty as though he let go of a heavy burden; a burden, which he was both sad and relieved to lose.
"Wake up; wake up..."
